Aqua Bay Hotel

We booked this in April 2018 when reviews all looked good. We paid a fortune for this being a family of 5 and had high expectations. Before we came we became worried as some reviews weren't great. Before we arrived we told the hotel via email that we wanted interconnecting rooms or rooms next door to each other and thought this would be possible. We also asked if vegetarians would be catered for and were assured we would be. We'd also asked for the TUI reps direct email as we'd read she was really useful but they didn't respond re this or when we asked about taxis from the airport. Any emails we did receive from the hotel seemed to take ages to arrive. When we arrived we weren't given interconnecting rooms or rooms next to each other and this was a nightmare to be honest with a family with young children. The reception just didn't care and we asked time and time again to be moved and just knew that they wouldn't do anything. We finally noticed a different receptionist and she was amazing called Althea. She looked immediately for us and we then moved the next day. Althea was the only one who helped with anything to be honest and she is a credit to the hotel. The rooms weren't great and definitely not 5 star. The duvets had been damaged by the laundry company apparently and wouldn't be replaced. We were told to just accept it. It was like lying up an extremely lumpy sheet with cotton wool balls stuffed in it. The third bed was a cheap camp bed with a very thin mattress. We complained about how uncomfortable this was and after 1 week was given a mattress topper. It is meant to be 5 star so why aren't the toppers on anyway? There was mould in the bathroom, broken light that maintenance didn't know how to fix, towels with holes in and holes in the nets covering the doors to name a few things. We can't tell you how disappointed we were. We were very limited with the food. We managed being vegetarian for breakfast and lunch but evening meal was a challenge daily. If you are happy to survive on roast potato, salad and boiled veg you are in the right place. We tried to speak to the Restaurant Manager but reception said guests weren't allowed. After of week of complaining the TUI rep finally spoke to the restaurant and they made us something that was adequate. Our argument is that you shouldn't have to go back day after day when faced with the same meal options to complain vegetarians in this day and age should be catered for. We couldn't attend any of the themed meals as the chefs in this area told us that vegetarians weren't catered for. Facilities in the hotel were no longer available including the hair salon, beauty area or sauna. These apparently hadn't been open for a while and were used as storage areas. The resort the hotel is in is nice and we enjoyed our evening stroll each night to the many shops and a walk on the beach. We had to escape the dire so called entertainment on the evening which is in the water park. Definitely 1 star quality and not worth hanging around to watch. As for the bar at the hotel some nights there wasn't even any music playing or atmosphere. In fact the whole hotel lacks atmosphere. We definitely won't be returning and feel real ripped off considering what we paid for this. If you do come on holiday here I'd recommend getting the local bus into Zante town and also taking a cruise with Levante speedboat. You can book this in resort and the boat goes from the harbour a 15 minute walk away from the hotel.

Returned yesterday from a one week stay at the Aqua Bay Hotel. I’m not particularly easy pleased but I have to say this is one of the better hotels I stayed in during 27 years of travelling to the Greek Islands. The cleanliness in every area of the hotel was superb, food was fresh, plentiful, varied and always at the correct temperature. Drinks were nice and at lunch and dinner were provided by waiter/waitress service. Drinks at the Walnut Tree pool bar were lovely too and we always had a friendly service. The snack bar in the grounds of the waterpark was also fab and staff were lively there too. Snacks were all made to order and were excellent too with a great selection. Ignore previous review about self service drinks and not dressing for dinner! I think this person must have been staying at a different hotel to us. I’m pleased to hear ‘Patrick’ managed to keep a stiff upper lip🤣 one might might have been better to stay at home! The garden restaurant in the grounds of the waterpark and has themed evenings. We only made it to the Far East evening, it was very nice and again drinks were provided by waiter service. There were Italian, Greek etc evenings too. The food at the themed evenings is buffet. The other Helios buffet restaurant is also available every evening and waiter service drinks. Once per week, guests can visit the a la Carte restaurant. Lovely food here too, with waiter service for all drinks which are included in the all inclusive package. Just for clarification, there are some rooms with pools directly in front; these are not swim up rooms. From what we could see the swim up rooms are at the separate location in the grounds but are clearly separate from all other rooms and are the ‘Aqua Bay Suites’; each swim up room has their own steps to access their own pool and it would not be possible for anyone to walk past or use. I think it’s unfair that people are incorrectly complaining of booking a swim up room when in actual fact it appears to me that they are only booking a room that opens onto a walkway and a shared pool that everyone is entitled to use. Maybe Tui/Aqua Bay Hotel needs to make this information explicit. Towels to take to the pool were provided at reception with no charge. Sun beds were always available regardless of time we went. Room towels were changed every day, sometimes twice a day. Thank you so much 🙏🏼 During our entire stay, the only one little niggle we found as the week went on was the number of pre-school age children. Some meals were not a relaxing experience due to this. We understood that as the hotel is located next to the waterpark there would be families staying, however these were families with babies and toddlers too small to use the waterpark facilities. We appreciate the hotel probably doesn’t want to limit their market to either couples or families. The hotel has enough areas that the dining could be made into 2 sittings or divided into different areas with one area for families and one fir adults/couples. This was the only aspect of our stay that we felt could be improved and could made a more relaxing and enjoyable experience for all the guests. We never once had to ask for anything a second time. If you are thinking of booking, you will not be disappointed.